Category: Health & Fitness

Ok, so I know its March 11th and this post is a little late. I also know that towards the end I didn’t blog much about this topic. I can give you the regular excuses, we’ve been sick, life was crazy. Yada Yada Yada. Who cares right? So let me just get to it.

Here are my results and thoughts on my little challenge. I loved it so much I’m still doing it! Honestly. Maybe not quiet as strict. I’ve had a few several glasses of wine since March 1st, but the whole working out and 0 to low carb dinners are still going strong. And I am totally rid of my coke zero habit!!! I don’t even think about them anymore! If that was all I got from this experiment that would be enough but it’s not I got so much more. Below is a list of what goals I wanted to achieve when I started the challenge VS what I actually achieved.

Eat more whole foods throughout my week and less processed junk – Check!

Eat more veggies- Check!

Kick my diet soda habit- Check!

Exercise Regularly- Check!

Increase my energy levels- Check!

More restful sleep at night- Check!

Increase water intake- Semi-Check!

Reduce bloat- Check!

Better my digestion- Check!

Tone my muscles, especially my mid-section- Semi-check!

loose 4 to 5 pounds

As you can see I was able to achieve almost every goal on my list. I have definitely cut back on processed food. I have so many new meals that have been added to the dinner rotation that are low carb and delicious. Not only did my vegetable intake increase but my husband and kids are eating more veggies too! I’m sleeping much better. And while my energy isn’t through the roof it feels way more stable then it was. And of course no more diet soda!

Okay so with all that said here is where I need improvement. Over the holidays I had gained about five pounds that I was hoping to get rid of. I only lost one pound on this “diet.” Which I found surprising because I stuck strictly to it. However I do feel stronger and more toned and who’s to stay that those five pounds won’t eventually come off. The truth is it is more about how you feel then the number on the scale. Water, I hit on average 30oz a day which is okay but I know I need more then that.

Another area that could use improvement, my food journal. I didn’t do a good job at writing down what I was eating. But I still think it’s important. Even if its just for yourself. It offers a little more accountability. Obviously it’s not something you can do everyday for the rest of your life but its a good option to consider if you are trying to hit specific goals. All in all, I felt the challenge was successful. If you are interested in trying it for yourself click here to see the guidelines I followed. You don’t have to do it in February. 😉

In the next few weeks I will try to post some of our favorite low carb dinners. Thanks for reading you guys!

Thoughts: So we are just a little past the half way mark for my challenge. I’ll be honest the best part about this so far is finding out I can make low carb dinners that are easy and delicious! And not only has my veggie intake increased but my husband and kids are eating more veggies as well which is awesome! I really feel I can keep this up after this over.

And yes I did take a bite out of my wrap before I took this pic.. You see I hadn’t planned on blogging about this until I tried this and realized it might just be my favorite new lunch!!!!

If you like sriracha and hummus and you live near Trader Joe’s then run there right now and get some of this right away!!!

Okay enough of my raving here is the recipe:

One 100% whole wheat tortilla

Sriracha Hummus

Sliced Turkey

Spinach

Sliced Cucumber

Sliced Red Pepper

Feta Cheese

1 Tsp Red wine vinegar (optional)

Pepper to taste (optional)

Lay out your tortilla and spread some hummus on one side. Arrange your turkey, spinach, sliced red pepper, cucumber and sprinkle with feta. I sprinkled about a teaspoon of red wine vinegar over every thing and added some cracked pepper before I rolled up my wrap.

That’s it! Enjoy!

Fit & Fabulous February: Day 15

Workout: 2miles on the elliptical

Breakfast: Blueberry Oatmeal

Snack: Cheese stick and roasted seaweed

Lunch: Sriracha Hummus Turkey Wrap

Snack: Greek Yogurt

Dinner: Greek Grilled Chicken Salad

Water Intake: 32oz

Thoughts: So I might totally cheated this weekend while out with friends and indulged in a milkshake and fries at like 10pm. And you know what while it tasted good going down I felt so sick afterward. Needless to say lesson learned.

Okay so I am a total Slacker. It’s been unexpectedly busy around here, so I haven’t had a chance to journal. But on the plus side it was 55 today which means I got to go for a run and it was glorious.

Workout: 1.5 mile run

Breakfast: Kale and Berry Smoothie

Snack: Protein Bar

Lunch: Leftover Sweet Potato and Turkey hash

Dinner: Chicken Fajitas & Chopped Cabbage Salad

Thoughts: I can honestly say for the last four days I have not felt the need to drink a Coke zero and if that is all I get from this month then it was worth it. Cookies on the other hand. Well cookies are a whole nother monster. No pun intended.

Why is it when you can’t have something, you want it the most? Yesterday I was under the weather therefore I didn’t eat much. So by 8pm I was incredibly hungry. Of Course the only thing that sounded good was a cookie. I gave in. One cookie. Not even a normal cookie, it was a “healthy” cookie with flax seed and whole oats. And yet it was like the most amazing thing I have ever tasted. And then suddenly I was overcome with the urge to eat about 10 more. I didn’t. Honestly I’m slightly amazed at my willpower! Even now as I sit here typing I am resisting the urge to go and eat another one! In fact this cookie was so good that while I was eating it I wanted to give up on this whole thing and just forget it! How could one, not even that delicious, cookie have that kind of power? I used to think I had a normal, healthy relationship with food. But now I’m finding, food has fooled me.

Thoughts: I went the whole day without eating bread or grains which was unintentional but I didn’t even notice! My energy levels were pretty good throughout the day. I didn’t feel the need to snack, so I didn’t. I still thought about the fact that I can’t have a coke zero. 😦 But all in all I would say today was a much better day! Woop, Woop.

If you would like to know more about Fit & Fabulous February, click here.

Last night I had a dream I was eating french fries. My dream wasn’t about french fries but that is what I remember most about the dream. And then the rest of the day I thought I could smell french fries cooking, as if they were haunting me. Also one of my husband’s clients sent us the most beautiful thank you gift in the mail today. Containing wine and cheese, olive oil crackers and chocolate covered cherries!! This is my luck people! This is my luck! I defiantly ate a couple cherries. Anyways here is my journal entry for the day.

Workout: 1.5 miles on the elliptical

Breakfast: Oatmeal with flax-seed and half a banana

Mid-morning snack: Protein Bar

Lunch: Hummus plate with grilled chicken, carrots and cucumbers

Afternoon snack: Hard boiled Egg and two chocolate covered cherries

Dinner: Taco Salad without crushed tortilla chips (So Sad)

Water intake: 40oz

Thoughts: The Bachelor is not as entertaining without wine. My energy levels were a smidgen better today! And I only thought about coke zero several times today as opposed to the whole day so I feel like that was progress. Before I started this challenge I knew it was going to be hard but I thought It can’t be that bad! At least I can have some carbs and cheese! No. It’s way harder then I expected. I am now keenly aware of the amount of processed junk I was eating during the day and you know what? I MISS IT. How disgusting is that? *Shakes head in shame* But it is only day two of this challenge and I am many things, but a quitter is not one of them! So here we go, on to tomorrow!

If you would like to know more about the Fit & Fabulous February Challenge, click here.

Well today was day one of my February challenge. I would love to say it was all sunshine and roses, but it wasn’t. No literally, it wasn’t. It snowed all day. But yes as promised in my original post, see here, below is a journal of my day. Enjoy.

Thoughts: Okay so today was my first day without a coke zero in probably 8 months (several months ago I tried to quit but fell off the wagon) AND IT WAS SO HARD. It literally was all I could think about all day! I have always told people and myself that I was only slightly addicted to Coke Zero, that I could quit anytime I wanted. I only drank one a day, maybe two. Clearly I was delusional and I had no idea that I am, without a doubt, totally addicted to this stuff. My workout was difficult because the last time I worked out was over two weeks ago. And while my brain felt clear and awake, it was like my body felt a whole step behind all day. I had a horrible headache by 3pm and all I wanted to do was drown my sorrow in Oreo Cookies. But I managed to stay strong! I made it! And even tho it’s only the first day I feel pretty proud of myself. Here’s hoping tomorrow is a much better experience.

Well the holidays have come and gone. With all the traveling and parties let’s just say health wise I have been left feeling like blah. So I decided to create a challenge for myself for the month of February. This challenge is something I came up with on my own. It’s not a diet, more of a lifestyle change adjustment. I took a few principles from several articles I have read lately and this is what I came up with. I am actually pretty excited about it. The challenge is outlined below and I’m going to use my blog as a journal to keep me accountable. Feel free to try it with me but just know I am not a dietitian and I am not claiming in any way that this challenge will give you any results.

Fit & Fabulous February Challenge:

Eating Program:

Low Sugar

Low Carbs

Minimally Processed Foods

Lots of protien

Lots of vegetables

Weekly Workout Program:

Two 30-45 minute workouts a week using my Nike Training Club App (NTC)

Two 30-45 minute sessions on my elliptical a week

One 15 minute yoga session a week

Specific Rules:

One glass of lemon water every morning 30 minutes before eating

No carbs after 3pm

Only water after 3pm

Drink at least 40 ounces of water a day

No eating after 6pm on week nights

No eating after 7pm on weekends

Complete Challenge Journal every evening but no counting calories

Take a Probiotic every evening

No soda

No alcohol

Specific Goals:

Eat more whole foods throughout my week and less processed junk

Eat more veggies

Kick my diet soda habit

Exercise Regularly

Increase my energy levels

More restful sleep at night

Increase water intake

Reduce bloat

Better my digestion

Tone my muscles, especially my mid-section

loose 4 to 5 pounds

So there it is! That is the challenge! Again you are more then welcome to do this with me if you would like. Here is a few things you should know.

-I will be Starting February 1st-March 1st. It is a leap year so that makes 30 days.

-My main goal in doing this is NOT to loose weight. I am expecting that I might loose a few pounds but not a ton. This for me is more about adjusting some bad habits I have developed.

-When I say no carbs after 3pm I mainly mean no grains, sweets and fruit. A lot of what we eat has carbohydrates. Some are bad and some are good. Veggies and beans have carbohydrates but they also contain a lot of good things like fiber and nutrients, so I will continue to eat those after 3pm. Fruit has fiber and nutrients as well, but contains a lot of sugar which is why I won’t be eating after 3pm.

-This will not work if you eat terrible all morning and then start eating good at 3pm. So although the only thing I am cutting out of my diet completely for the month is soda and alcohol, I will be limiting things like sweets, fast food, sugary cereals, microwavable meals and unhealthy things like that.

-Also when I do eat grains I will only be eating 100% whole grains. This means 100% whole wheat bread, brown rice and whole oats. No white flour.

-All of my workouts will be from home. If it was warmer I would include some outdoor runs and hikes but alas it’s freezing and I hate being cold. I get my workouts through a free app called Nike Training Club (NTC). It is specifically for women but I’m sure men can do it too. You can customize it and create your own program which is pretty awesome! It’s my new favorite workout app!